Feed table for printing presses and the like



De.23,1941.` W, C, RuppV 2,267,340v

FEEDITABLE FOR PRINTING PRESSES lAND THE LIKE y Filed May 20, 19404 4Sheets-Sheet l ununcml l l l LF- l I ununnu I Y ll li i I Il I /26 I JII .gf-*TJ i I /25 I I EIE. l l

E a I l l l /i/ I I I I I f 1 l 'i 2 l l l I l I I l h I 15:' Y ISE I 1|5 E 5 LTI v T E I7 1L; l E 5 6 III HI 5 IO E ,Ljrnll I f V 6 wim",

I E"- 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 23, 1941. w. c. RUPP 2,267,340.y

FEED TABLE FOR PRINTNG PRESSES AND 'I'H LIKE `Filed May 2o, 1940 4sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. WILLIAM c.RUPP

ATTORNEYS.

W. C; RUPP,

Dec. z3, 1941.

FEED TABLE FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed May 2o, 1940 4sheets-sheet 5 Ell Bil.

ATTORNEYS.

w. c. RUPP Dec; 23, 1941.

FEED TABLE FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed May 20, 1940 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM CRUPP BY l ma, Mi/QM ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 23, 1941 FEED TABLE FOR, BRINTING PRESSES AND William C.Rupp, Parma, Ojlit assig'itoi" to' The Chandler & Price Go corporationof' Oli-ioapplication May 20,1940, serial-No. m6311534 (creci-6e This`invention relates as indicated to feedtables for printing presses andthe like and more particularly to,v a novel type of stack elevatingdevice which is responsive tothe removalof evenvery thin sheets ofpaper.

In conjunction with the Well-known platen or Gordon type presses, forexampleit has been' found desirable to employ feed tables which maybeintermittently elevated as sheets are removedfrom the stack in orderto maintain the top of the. stack at aI substantially predeterminedlevelI andso facilitate the operation-ofthe sheet feed.- ing mechanism.Various rack and gea-r means as, for` example, that illustrated anddescribed in Root Patent No. 2,081,958, have been utilized in' the pastto provide for the elevation `ofthe feed table, such means beingresponsivethroughrather complicated pawl and ratchet mechanism, to themovement of feeler ngers periodicallyr resting upon the upper surface ofthe stack. I-n- `addition to being mechanically complex, such means isonly effective to periodically elevate the stack When a sufficientnumber of sheetshavebeen-removed therefrom to cause quite a notice' ablelowering of the upper surface of the stack. The top of the stack is thenabruptly' elevated to-V its vformer-level. Any attempt to render themechanism more sensitive and responsive totheA removal of thin sheetsobviously requires a mul-tiplication of gear and rack teeth, moreaccu-rate machining and a general tendency toward more delicate parts.

Itis therefore an object of this invention toprovide a feed tableelevating mechanism which*-y willl be smoothly and immediatelyresponsive to an even very slight decrease in thev height of thev stackas by the removal of very thinsheets ofV paper but Which-may also beeffectively employed when a stack of thicker sheets, such as card board,is being handled.

Otherobjects of this invention will appearv asf the descriptionproceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,then, consists ofthe meansY hereinafter fully described and particu'-ularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following' description set forth in detailcertain mechanism' embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of variousV mechanical forms in which theprinciple ofthe invention may be used.

I-n said annexed drawings:-

Fig.- 1 is a.- foront elevational View ofthefeed 55 i tablef andrfeedtab invention;r o s Fig. 2-isaside View in section along line 2-a-2-on Fig.- 1-; I

Y Fig. 3'isaAV detail sectional view of the stack;

feelerlinger mechanism illustrated in Fig-2;-

Fijg. 4- is afragmentary view of the feedtable.-

back; i i

Fig. 5- isa top- View along line 5-5 on` Fig; ll of the stack elevatingymechanism ;-l

Fig. 6- is a f-ront View (enlarged)- of the master cam ir-lecl-ianismtaken` alongline 6--6 on Fig-5;`

Fig.- '7- isa-Vdetail v-iew of `such cam taken one line 'l1-1-on--Figsfand 6:

Fig-8` is a fragmentaryside View sho-wing thefeeleroscillating.- rod andplunger release means taken oni line 8-'-8 on-Fi`g-.- 5;

9- isa verticalsectionv ofthe hydrauliccylinder taken along line 9-9-onAFig. 8;y

Fig.- lof is a vertical section ofsaid cylinder taken along line Ill-I0l o n Fig-9;

Fig-, 11 is afragmentary view of the samesection-showing theplungeradvanced;

` Fig.` 12 is a-fragmentary top View taken along` lineMl-Z-l-Z on Fig.8; l I

h Fig. 13- isa detail View of the foot ofthe feeler finger operating-rodandreciprocating cam lever;l and Figi-4 is a diagrammatic top plan Viewofr the hydraulic system-.-

Y Referring no-w more particularly to the drawingsfand especiallyFigs-1- and- 2, the-new dev-ice of vmyinventioncomprises a stacksup-porting-l table.A I- carriedby a-Vcolu-mn 2- fitting in-arhydrauliccylinder il.v Such` cylinder is held` Withina bloss-A4 of framemember 5-Which is sleevedf ona horizontallydisposed- Vtrackway composedof bars 6 and 1 respectively supported in brackets threaded'whereitpasses through--frame-piecenl D so that byturning handle l-I- framemember 5 and thusA the table vmay lie-caused to wardly or rearwardlyasdesired.-- Jour-nailedin aia-right` angles to saidf drive shaft-12aVA-rocker arm- I@ is fixed against rotation-on shaft l'l` and' carries atits end a cam roller Hladapted-to-ride'l onthe periphery of-sad'mast'ercam.V I4; Asthe' ,e elevatingmeans off this move for# distance from thecenter of shaft I2 to a point on the periphery of said cam varies, it isobvious that upon rotation of shaft I2 shaft I1 will be continuouslyrocked back and forth by action of said lever arm I8. Cam roller |9 isheld in close engagement with cam |4 by means of tension spring 20extending between said lever arm and bracket 8. ,Also mounted on shaftI1 and rock-V ing therewith are lever arm 2| and cam 22 (see Figs. 8, 9and 13).

Also carried by frame member is a back member 23 which, together withsaid table` I, serves to support the stack of sheets 24. Side gauges 25and 26, adjustably mounted on rod 21, serve to laterally position thesheets. Journalled in bracket 28 attached to said back member 23 andbracket 29 supported by frame member 5 is a rod 3|) to which a yoke 3|istightly attached (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4). l said yoke is a horizontallydisposed rod 32,011. which is pivotally mounted a frame 33 with feelerfingers 34 and 35 operative to protrude through slots in the top of saidback 23 and rest on the upper surface of the stack.. A torsion 'spring36 bearing on said yoke and frame piece acts to keep said ngers inadvanced position except when rod 38 is elevated,at which time lug 31 onsuch yoke will engage adjustable stop 38 carried by bracket 28 and causeframe-piece l33 to be tilted rearwardly, thus retracting the fingers.The lower end of rod 30 carries a vertically adjustable foot 39 adaptedto rest upon the extremity of lever arm 2 I. Itis thus apparent that, asthe shaft I1 and such lever'arm rock, rod 30 will be reciprocated andthe feeler fingers 34 and 35 alternately brought forward to rest on thestack and raised Aand 1retracted. Also carried by the lower end of rod30 is a nger 40, the purpose of which will be explained'below.

Carried by an extension of boss 4 vis a hydraulic cylinder 4| (see.Figs. 8 and 11) in which a plunger 42 is adapted to move. Oppositelydisposed cup washers 43 and 44 serve to vprovide a tight seal whilecompressionspring 45 tends to force said plunger upward. vAs best shownin Fig. 9, as cam 22 is rocked it bears onthe outer end of the plungerandy together withcompres-V sion spring 45 is operative to reciprocatetheA same in the cylinder. Cylinder VIl communicates with a hydraulicfluid reservoir 43 by way of a one-way valve 41 and through a similarvalve 48 to a T fitting 49, one arm of which communicates through tube50 with cylinder 3 while the other arm leads back to the reservoir 46through shutoff valve 5|. Ity will thus be seen that as plunger 42 isreciprocated by action of the cam 22 and spring 45 it acts as a pump,liquid flowing from the reservoir into cylinder 4| and then as cam 22moves counterclockwise, as viewed in Fig. 9, into tube 50 and cylinder 3forcing'column 2 upward together with table I carried thereby. Valve 5|is of course closed at such time.

To render such pumping means responsive to depletion of the stack ofsheets, a shaftV 52 is provided journalled in an extension 53 of thewall of cylinder 4|. shaft 52 is a lever arm 54 which is urged towardcontact with the end of finger 48 by means of a torsion spring 55bearing on a lug 56 on said A sleeve 59 andinut 60 serve to properlyposition lever arm 54 on the shaft and since the lower J ournalled in`Tightly mounted on said side of lug 58 slopes to provide an inclined camsurface a nal delicate adjustment of the contact between lever arm 54and nger 40, and thus the level of the stack top, may be made, the stacktop being set higher for thick paper or cardboard than for thin paper,for example.

Having thus described the component parts of the assembly comprising thestack elevating device of this invention, I shall now describe theoperation of the same in detail. As the sucker tips of the sheet feedingmechanism (not shown) approach the top of the stack, lever arm 2| isrocked upward causing the feeler ngers 34 and 35 to be raised andretracted and thus permitting the withdrawal of a sheet. If no sheet isremoved, as lever arm 2| rocks downward fingers 34 and 35 will rest onthe upper surface of the stackV and as the end of said lever armcontinues to descend, foot 39 and finger 4|] will remain suspended at apredetermined elevation. Such elevation will have been chosen so thatfinger 40, while touching lever arm 54, fails to depress the latter soas to move eccentric cam roller 51 and permit plunger 42 to rise (seeFig. 10). However, if a sheet has been removed, foot 39 and nger 40 willdescend below such predetermined level and finger 40 depressing lever 54will move cam roller 51 and permit plunger 42 to rise proportionately tosuch movement (see Fig. ll). 'Ihen as shaft I1 rocks again cam 22 willforce the plunger down and an amount of fluid proportionate to tliedegree of previous upward movement of said plunger will be forced intocylinder 3. The column bearing table and stack is thus forced up adistance proportionate to the drop of rod 39 below a predeterminedlevel, or, in other words, proportionate to the thickness of the sheetremoved. When all of the sheets have been removed, the table may belowered by action of its own weight upon opening valve 5| which permitsreturn of the hydraulic fluid to the reservoir. A center rest 6| isprovided in the bottom of cylinder 3 to support the end of column 2 sothat the rubber cup washer 62 may not be 4 5" damaged.

' tance such fingers may descend. As the feeler' fingers oscillate andrest intermittently on the upper surface of the stack of sheets thehydraulic means described immediately responds to the degree of movementof the fingers to ele` vate the column, and thus the stack,proportionately whenever such movement exceeds a predetermined amount.

It will be understood, of course, that the feed table of this inventionmay be employed in con,

junction with any machine handling sheets of paper and the likeautomatically, such as envelope machines, and is not limited to printingpresses in its application, although particularly useful therewith.'Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being madeV as regards themechanism herein disclosed; provided the means stated by any ofthefollowing claims or lthe equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as myinvention:

1. In a feed table for printing presses and theA like, the combinationof a table, a column supporting said table, feeler fingers operative torest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried bysaid table, a rod mounted so as to be supported by said lingers when thelatter rest upon such stack, and hydraulic means responsive to thedownward movement of said rod beyond a predetermined point to elevatesaid column proportionately to the degree of such downward movement.

2. In a .feed table for printing presses and the like, the combinationof a table, a cylinder, a column supporting said table and fitting insaid cylinder, feeler fingers operative to rest intermittently on theupper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, a rod mountedso as to be supported by said fingers when the latter rest upon suchstack, a hydraulic cylinder and plunger, means for reciprocating saidplunger, means operative to lock said plunger against reciprocation, andcam means responsive to the downward movement of said rod beyond apredetermined point operative to release said locking means and permit adegree of reciprocation of said plunger proportionate to the extent ofsuch downward movement, forcing fluid into said iirst-named cylinder andthus elevating said column.

3. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination ofa table, a column supporting said table, hydraulic means operative toelevate said column, and means responsive to the depletion of a stacko-f sheets carried by said table effective to actuate said hydraulicmeans comprising a rockably mounted shaft, a lever arm fixed thereto, arotatable shaft, a cam thereon effective to engage said lever arm androck said rst named shaft when said last named shaft is rotated, aslidably mounted rod, fingers carried thereby operative to rest on theupper surface of such stack, a second lever arm fixed to said firstnamed shaft effective to reciprocate said rod and thus said lingers assaid shaft is rocked, means for locking said hydraulic means, and meansfor releasing said hydraulic means and thus elevating said tableoperative by said rod Whenever the lower end of the latter drops below apredetermined level, as when a sheet is removed permitting said fingersto reach a lower level in their reciprocation.

4. In a feed ta'ble for printing presses and the like, the combinationof a table, a cylinder, a co1- um-n fitting in said cylinder, ahydraulic cylinder communicating with said rst named cylinder, a plungertherein, means operative to reciprocate sai-d plunger and thus pumpiiuid to said iirst named cylinder to elevate said column, and meansmaking said last named means responsive to the depletion of a stack ofsheets carried by said table comprising an outer extension of saidplunger bearing an inclined cam face, eccentric means operative toengage such cam face and thus prevent reciprocation of said plunger, andmeans operative to intermittently depend from the upper surface of suchstack and eifect the retraction of said eccentric means when suchsurface is lowered, thus permitting a proportionate reciprocation ofsaid plunger and elevation of said column and table.

5. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the -combinationof a table, a cylinder, a column Iitting in said cylinder and supportingsaid table, feeler means operative to rest intermittently on the uppersurface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, and hydraulic meansresponsive to the downward movement of said feeler means below apredetermined level operative to pump fluid to said cylinder and elevatesaid column proportionately to the degree of such downward movement.

6. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination ofa table, a column supporting said table, feeler fingers operative torest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried bysaid table, a rod mounted so as to be supported by said fingers when thelatter rest upon such stack, hydraulic means responsive to the downwardmovement of said rod beyond a predetermined point to elevate said columnproportionately to the degree of such downward movement, and means forvarying the point beyond which movement of said rod will actuate saidhydraulic means.

7. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination ofa table, a column Supporting said table, feeler means operative to restintermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried b-ysaid table, a rod mounted so as to be supported by said feeler meanswhen said feeler means rest upon the surface of such stack, andhydraulic means responsive to downward movement of said rod beyond apredetermined point to elevate said column proportionately to the degreeof such downward movement.

8. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination ofa table, a column supporting said table, feeler means operative to restintermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried by saidtable, control means adapted to be supported by said feeler means whensaid feeler means rests upon the surface of such stack, and hydraulicmeans responsive to downward movement of said control means below apredetermined point operative to elevate said table a proportionateamount.

9. In a feed table for printing presses and the like, the combination ofa table, a feeler finger operative to oscillate intermittently from aposition laterally adjacent said table to a position of rest on theupper surface of a stack of sheets carried by said table, control meansadapted to be raised when said feeler finger is in such laterallyremoved position and lowered when said feeler finger is in such positionof rest on the upper surface of such stack, the amount such controlmeans is lowered depending on the level of the upper surface of suchstack, and hydraulic means responsive to downward movement of saidcontrol means to elevate said table whenever such downward movementexceeds a predetermined amount.

10. In a feed table for printing presses and the like having sheetfeeding means, the combination of a table, feeler means operative torest intermittently on the upper surface of a stack of sheets carried bysaid table during only that portion of the cycle of operation when thesheet feeding means is at a distance from such stack, control meanssupported by said feeler means when said feeler means rests upon thesurface of such stack, and hydraulic means responsive to downwardmovement of said control means beyond a predetermined point to elevatesaid table proportionately to the degree of such downward movement.

WILLIAM C. RUPP.

